Soybeans Withstand Flood Damage

December 29, 1999

A marker that points to genes responsible for flood tolerance in soybeans has been identified by an Agricultural Research Service scientist. Plants with the marker had a 50% yield advantage after spending the flowering stage in waterlogged soil for two weeks.

ARS plant physiologist Tara T. VanToai at the Soil Drainage Research Unit, Columbus, OH, says the two-year study involved 208 soybean lines. For confirmation, more plants will be field tested in Arkansas and Ohio.

VanToai is conducting other field and greenhouse tests to find soybean germ plasm lines that contain additional gene for further yield increases in flooded fields. VanToai and colleagues from the University of Arkansas, University of Utah and Ohio Sate University are doing the work jointly as part of a national soybean genome mapping project partly funded by the United Soybean Board.